Local Group of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Announces Participation
in 4 Veterans Day Events

The Lone Star Veterans Association (LSVA) will be marching in the City of Houston's American Heroes Parade on November 11, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. There will be a short ceremony honoring veterans and commemorating the day prior to the parade. The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. at City Hall, 901 Bagby, Houston, TX 77002 and will proceed down Smith Street between Texas and Lamar. The City of Houston will also be hosting a Veterans Job Fair, presented by AT&T, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in which employers from top local companies will be on site to recruit veterans for a variety of jobs. That evening, LSVA members will be celebrating Veterans Day at various Sherlock's and Baker Street Pubs around town beginning at 5:30 p.m. All Post 9/11 veterans, their families and friends are invited to attend.

This year marks the second time that LSVA and other veterans who have served after 9/11 have participated in the City's ceremony and parade. LSVA members will be marching alongside a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle generously loaned by BAE Systems, who is also loaning a 2 1/2 ton troop carrier truck that the Houston Texans Cheerleaders will be riding in.

"2009 was the first year that a group of Post 9/11 veterans participated in the City's ceremony, we had a great turnout which really helped to raise awareness of our presence in this community," said John Boerstler, LSVA President. "We plan on this year being even better by using the awareness generated by Veterans Day to help place veterans in jobs that they can thrive in."

LSVA has grown from a handful of people to more than 1,300 veterans and family members since it was founded in May 2009. The organization has hosted a number of social and networking events, started a peer-mentor program with the Wounded Warrior Project in the Veteran's Administration Hospital, and has worked to help fellow veterans successfully transition from military to civilian life.